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PODCAST

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review

Partners in Crime Media

The original true crime review podcast that looks at other podcasts, TV, and pop culture. True crime authors and real-life couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn hold a pop-culture round table with noir novelist Toby Ball and journalist-turned-investigator Lara Bricker. The panel chats about other podcasts (including "Serial") as well as journalism, storytelling, TV shows and films, and the special segment, "Crime of the Week." Show website: crimewriterson.com. Follow the show on X @crimewriterson

true crime tv reviews

All Episodes

01:14:05

Is True Detective back? (Plus, Gimlet's new true...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2019/02/04

Lara is hopped up on chocolate-covered espresso beans…so hold on to your hats, people. The panel talks about Hollywood’s plans for a dramatized retelling of the “Wild Wild Country” story. Rebecca poses the question of whether “Conviction” and Gimlet’s other testosterone-fueled true crime offers are “a little too bro.” Then the crime writers discuss whether the sensibility and narrative certitude of true crime publishing has a place in the broken system/unsolved case popularity of modern podcasts.The

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01:08:53

Abducted in Plain Sight....is bananas

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2019/01/28

It's a breakfast-hour recording for the panel after a basement flooding emergency threw off the schedule (not to fear...Studio C is undamaged). Also, the dog's weird behavior has a medical explanation.The Crime Writers do a quick take on the new installment of "Done Disappeared." After a shaky sophomore season, the podcast parody seems to be back to peak form.Then the team gives their thoughts (and they have a lot of them) about the new doc from Netflix, "Abducted in Plain Sight." The story of a

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01:12:37

Monster: The Zodiac Killer - Is it a podcast worth...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2019/01/21

The crime writers discuss the finer points of hate mail. Toby gives a shout out to a little-known but important local podcast called 2nd Read, Rebecca and Kevin plug their appearance on Netflix's "You Can't Make This Up" podcast, and Lara has wine come out her nose. The panel reviews Monster, which explores the sinister ciphers and random slayings of the Zodiac Killer that gripped California in 1969. Documentary or exposé, is it possible they’ll put forth a theory which has yet to be made after a

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01:10:44

Broken Harts broke our hearts (and not in a good way)

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2019/01/14

Two true crime updates this week. The "hot sheriff" from Murder Mountain issues a rebuttal of-sorts to the Netflix doc. Meantime, based on a recent court decision favorable to his case, Adnan Syed's legal team has submitted a supplemental filing in his appeal. Then there's a special cameo from this month's guest on Toby Ball's Deep Dive podcast.Next the crime writers talk about the hit podcast "Broken Harts." This collaboration between HowStuffWorks and Glamour magazine looks at the case of a family

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01:11:00

Murder Mountain and Bandersnatch and Chill

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2019/01/07

It’s 2019 and the Crime Writers resolve to bring it in the new year.The panel clicks its way through "Bandersnatch," Netflix’s hot interactive TV show. Toby thinks it meshes gimmick with good story, Kevin likes its meta themes, and Lara is still trying to figure out her Roku. Meanwhile, Rebecca finally finishes her summer reading.The Crime Writers catch the 4:20 to “Murder Mountain,” the new Netflix doc about the outlaw California region where black market marijuana is cultivated. Does the six-part

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01:14:14

The Innocent Man on Netflix, a Making a Murderer...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/12/24

Is it an early Christmas present, or a justified lawsuit? We weigh in on the news that one of the maybe-corrupt law enforcement officers featured in Making A Murderer has filed suit against Netflix and the filmmakers. Plus, one of the Bundy clan is walking away from the movement we heard about in the excellent podcast Bundyville. Why? The answer might surprise you.And yes, a much-maligned podcast gets a follow up as we break down what we heard in the new trailer for Monster: The Zodiac Killer.Then,

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01:22:40

A big break, a Cold review and the Best of 2018

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/12/17

OH SNAP! Rebecca describes her misadventure in the woods. We make an announcement about PodX. In true crime update, Curtis Flowers's defense hopes to turn the tables on Doug Evans.We review Cold, the new podcast from KSL examining the Susan Powell case. A thorough examination of the lives of the Powells through recovered computer files, audio diaries, videotape, and dramatic readings, we ask how much is too much?TO HEAR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF COLD, FAST-FORWARD TO 32:58.We look back 2018 with

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01:28:22

A Teacher's Pet update, HBO's The Sentence and...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/12/10

IRL Rebecca renders a verdict...and gets to check something off her bucket list. There's a true crime update out of Australia with an arrest in the Teacher's Pet case. Should we reconsider the quality of a podcast story poorly told, yet effective at solving the crime?HBO brings us to tears with The Sentence, a look at one woman's 15-year mandatory-minimum sentence and its effects on her young children. Can a documentary about a single family speak to a larger institutional issue?TO HERE OUR

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01:11:58

Dirty John on TV, an Ear Hustle update, and our...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/12/03

Good news/bad news in our true crime podcast updates. He’s podcasting’s second most-famous inmate. Now someone is leaving Ear Hustle…for a great reason. Also, a return trip to Winona by Madeline Baron and In the Dark gins up more CWO anger. Was that recent fire a coincidence or payback for supporting Curtis Flowers?A microchip has solved the mystery of the stray cat taken in by Lara. Seems she soon after had an awkward conversation with a neighbor.Bravo’s Dirty John is the first true crime podcast

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01:24:07

Serial Season 3 is over! And is Homecoming worth a...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/11/19

Serial wraps up season 3 with more from Joshua behind bars (should the whole season have been him?). We leave some notes in the suggestion box for Sarah Koenig about how S3 could have pulled together the many themes touched on: overcharging, racial inequality, police misconduct, and the indifference to improving the system.Then we binge Amazon Prime's "Homecoming," the first major TV adaptation of a hit podcast. It has its own visual and musical style and a plot that suddenly veers from the source

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01:22:18

Serial Episode 8 & Believed (the podcast about Larry...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/11/12

Sarah Koenig talking to a man behind bars who got done-wrong by the system. Wait, what season of Serial is this? We're talking about "A Madman's Vacation" with its revealing look at the Cleveland juvenile justice system.Then we talk about the powerful series from Michigan Radio and NPR, "Believed." This podcast takes a hard look at the crimes of gymnastics trainer Larry Nassar who was convicted of sexually assaulting more than 200 girls. Believed tells the tale through the stories of his victims and

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01:22:17

Making a Murderer Season 2 - Our breakdown and review!

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/11/05

Killers or conspiracy? Justice or just desserts?We dedicate our entire episode to the much-awaited sequel to 2016's breakout hit and cultural phenomenon: Netflix's Making a Murderer 2. Our review takes two paths. First the panel discusses the Brendan Dassey story line. Did it capture the drama of his reversed reversal of fortune? Then on to the tale of Steven Avery's attorney Kathrine Zellner. Does her investigation create more doubt about Avery's conviction? Or is it more of (a different kind of)

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01:14:35

Serial Episode 7 and Gladiator from Wondery

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/10/29

In Serial episode 7, "Snowball Effect," we see the negative after-effects of Erimius's and Jesse's cases. What were once two men with the moral high ground against police misconduct are now spiraling into self-sabotage.Then we look at Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football, Inc. This podcast from the Boston Globe Spotlight team examines how football and his environment contributed to Hernandez going from NFL tight end to having three murder charges. A must-listen, even for non-sports fans.Want to

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01:08:51

Serial Episode 6 and Happy Face (A hot mess review!)

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/10/22

It's the return for the Brickter Scale. In Serial episode 6, "You in the Red Shirt," Sarah and Emmanuel get into the story of a man beaten by East Cleveland police who seems to get justice in the court but continues to pay for it on the street.Then we talk about "Happy Face" AKA "My dad, the serial killer." This podcast of a daughter's take on her secretly-homicidal father has everything: truckers, bunk beds, prison correspondence...bears. But does it have a point? (Spoiler alert: Nope!)FOR A

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01:24:00

Serial Episode 5 & The Dream (Yup, that podcast about...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/10/15

In Serial episode 5, Pleas Baby Pleas, Sarah brings us inside the prosecutor’s office, giving us a view of what it’s like to be one of too-few prosecutors in a system with too many felonies to prosecute, with some decisions made for justice and some for expediency. But does this episode live up to Serial's promise? The panel is split 3-1.Then, we review The Dream, a new podcast from Stitcher that looks at the unsavory world of multi-level marketing companies, and the reasons some people get sucked

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01:13:28

Serial Episode 4 & American Vandal (Season Number Two!)

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/10/07

For Serial season 3 episode 4, "A Bird in Jail is Worth Two on the Street," Sarah introduces us to man charged with shooting of an infant in a car before the state dropped the charges. Could this have been avoided? We learn that a snitch in time could have saved him a year in jail.Then...American Vandal is back with number two. Netflix's smart, Peabody Award winning, true crime satire returns with Pete and Sam looking for the Turd Burglar. Call the police, because DeMarcus steals the show.FOR OUR

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01:18:54

Serial Season 3: Episode 3 & Uncover: Escaping NXIVM

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/10/01

In Serial episode 3, "Misdemeanor, Meet Mr. Lawsuit," Sarah looks into the issue of how the police interact with the African-American population in their communities. A large topic writ small through the story of one arrest in a hallway. Which one of the crime writers says this is the best single episode of Serial ever?Then the panel discuss the new CBC podcast Uncover: Escaping NXIVM. The distinctive Canadian presentation style takes on an alleged sex cult. (Want to skip to our spoiler-free review

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01:18:42

Serial Season 3: Episode 1 and 2 - Our breakdown and...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/09/24

Get ready for the best discussion and analysis of the Serial podcast. Sarah Koenig is back for season 3 (finally!) - Along with Emmanuel Dzotsi, Sarah gives us a year in the life of the Cleveland Justice Center. For episode one, "A Bar Fight Walks into the Justice Center," the crime writers discuss whether the lesson is about prosecutorial discretion...or about race? In episode two, "You've Got Some Gauls," we can't even with Judge Gaul. But does he have a point? (Spoiler alert - he does not.) Also,

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01:11:41

Dr. Death, Ozark Season 2, and Serial Season 3 is...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/09/13

Weekly episodes of "Crime Writers On" have returned! And so has "Serial!" For season 3, Sarah K and Co. will look at the justice system from the inside: embedding themselves in a criminal courthouse in Cleveland. Note: for the duration of Serial's run, episodes of CWO will drop on Mondays instead of Fridays. Netflix’s hit crime show "Ozark" is back with a second season. The drama starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney combines white collar crime and redneck gothic. Is it as good as its debut

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01:21:50

This episode has IT ALL: Up and Vanished, Sharp...

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review ·

2018/08/31

Wow, we've got more true crime than you can shake a stick at! This time out we talk about Kim Kardashian's new-found love of "Serial," the latest court filings in Adnan Syed's appeal, and the Facebook meltdown over "My Favorite Murder." The panel give first takes and final thoughts on shows like "Sharp Objects," "Up and Vanished," and "Fatal Voyage." And there's cool stuff to look forward to with TV debuts of "My Dad Wrote a Porno" and "American Vandal" season two.TO AVOID SPOILERS FOR "SHARP

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